Darrell Green: Marty Schottenheimer made some "catastrophic" mistakes

Neil Dalal

05/20/2016

The Hall of Famer also had some choice words for another ex-Redskins coach, Norv Turner, during a radio interview Friday.

Take a poll of the Washington Redskins' fan base about the one-year with Marty Schottenheimer as head coach. Unlike the main presidential candidates, the favorable ratings would reach positive territory.

Darrell Green, arguably the greatest member to ever suit up for the Burgundy and Gold, would not agree with that poll

"I think Marty [Schottenheimer] made some catastrophic mistakes", Green said Friday during an interview on 106.7 The Fan with Grant and Danny after one of the hosts praised the coach.

Green also had some pointed comments for another coach he played with during his 20 years and we don't mean Joe Gibbs. Before we get to the Norv Turner era, let's stick with Marty Ball.

During the 2001 season, the Redskins got off to a terrible 0-5 start behind subpar quarterback Tony Banks. Green retorted that despite Washington finishing the year 8-8 under Schottenheimer, "we should have won more games if we had a different coach."

"Marty Schottenheimerwas not a Redskin," the Hall of Famer stated about the coach who replaced Turner, who came to the Redskins in 1994 after serving as offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys.

Bringing over a coach from your bitter rival didn't sit well with Green, but that a handful of Dallas players came over as well really burned the cornerback, which isn't something that happened often to Green on the field.

"When Norv Turner came here from Dallas, I was the lone wolf of the old guys and he brought about five hasbin Cowboys," Green said.

[Editor's note -- Ben Standig here. ... Safety James Washington signed as a free agent in 1995, the year after Turner arrived. He was kind of hasbin-y. Need to do some more research for anyone else, but no clear candidates that first season. ...Actually, center John Gesek came over from Dallas and started 28 games over the next two seasons, but never played in the NFL after 1995 h/t my pal Gene Wang.]

What angered Green more was that there was no uproar about hiring the Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator.

"I didn't hear any of ya'll in the media, true Redskin fans say anything. I didn't hear a thing. The Cowboys, we brought their head coach and a bunch of their players and we were jacked up, but no one said a word."

[Editor's note -- I wasn't in the media back then, but I recall plenty of fans thinking WTH about bringing over a Dallas coach, believe me. Perhaps somebody can check out the Washington Post archives for what Boswell, Kornheiser and Wilbon thought at the time.]

During the back end of Green's two decade long career, he was "just staying quiet, working hard" because he is the "truest Redskin of them all."

That kind of talk is backed up by a player who is willing to run through broken ribs on his way to a game-winning punt return. Without that touchdown in the divisional round of the playoffs, Washington may never have gone on to thump the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXII.